August 15th marks the remembrance of the dormition of Mary, the Theotokos, the “God-bearer” (feast also known as the Assumption). We don’t know much about Mary, about her life and her work. The gospels introduce her with the story of the Annunciation, with the angel Gabriel telling her that she had been chosen by God to bear His Son (Luke 1:8-25). Upon receiving such wondrous news, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, to share her joy. There, Mary glorified the Lord and uttered the most profound words of humility and servitude: “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my savior. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden; for behold from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1:46-50) After the birth of Jesus and the two stories of his presentation in the temple and his disappearance as a teenager, the gospels don’t speak much about Mary. We encounter her at Cana and, of course, at the crucifixion. After the Ascension of Jesus and Pentecost, Mary seems to fade away. What happened to the mother of our Lord? How did she died? Well, Mary had a peculiar end: in her old age, she died but something miraculous took place at her death. That something is precisely what we celebrate on August 15th. As Mary was praying near Jerusalem, the angel Gabriel appeared to her again, as he had in Nazareth. This time Gabriel told Mary that her earthly life would come to an end in three days and that the Lord would take her back to Him. At the same time, the Lord also made it so that all the Apostles had come together in Jerusalem, from the many parts of the world where they had gone to preach. At the hour of her death, a bright light shone in the room where Mary was lying and Jesus, surrounded by angels, appeared and received her soul. The Apostles buried her body in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the cave where her family and Joseph were buried. During her burial, many miracles took place: by touching her bier, the blind regained their sight and the sick were healed. Three days after her burial, Saint Thomas arrived. Distraught to have missed the funeral, he wished to see her body and pay his last respects. So Thomas and the Apostles went to the cave but her body was missing. Only her burial clothes remained. Needless to say, the Apostles were very amazed. That evening, as they were praying, they heard the angelic choir and looking up to the heavens, they saw Mary surrounded by angels, in radiant heavenly glory. Then she said to the Apostles, “Rejoice! I am with you for all the days and nights.” The crux of the story of the dormition of Mary is her last words to the Apostles, and in turn to us who follow in the lineage of the Apostles: her promise. The Theotokos stands as our help and as our protector. And in that role, she becomes our Mother, our heavenly defender, the one who never ceases to watch over us, to intercede for us, to care for us and to provide for us. Mary, whether in the gospel accounts or the early Christian legends which grew around her, stood and still stands as the paragon of humility, of service, of faithfulness. Mary, the young maiden, was called to serve an extraordinary purpose; she forsook her desires and needs and personal aspirations to fulfill that purpose. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was called to witness the painful destiny of her son, God’s Son; she put aside her sorrows to bear his pain. Mary, the widow and childless woman, was called to care for her son’s flock; she ignored her heavenly bliss to watch over the faithful, the lost, the sick, those in need and those who are humble enough to ask for help. Mary has a special place in the Church and in the hearts of Christians precisely because of her character, a character which surpasses any quality we may have, but a character so human that we can all strive towards possessing it. Mary is our example, the perfect example of service we all should try to and can follow. Mother Aline